Porter, of Council Bluffs, was until recently the party’s executive director, and was its nominee for Secretary of State in 2010 and 2014. He has also worked on Libertarian presidential campaigns in the state.

He had previously announced plans to run in 2018 but quit his campaign to serve as the party’s executive director.

In a statement, Porter said he would shrink state government and eliminate waste as governor and transcend partisan politics.

“As governor, I would do a detailed analysis of every government department and agency in the state and my recommended budget would first cut out waste, consolidate many of them to make them more efficient, and eliminate unnecessary government,” he said.

Porter’s announcement last week makes him the first Libertarian to begin a gubernatorial candidacy for 2018. Earlier this year, the party received official political party status from the Secretary of State’s Office, a designation that puts the party on the ballot in next June’s primary and allows voters to register as party members.

The Libertarian Party achieved that designation after 2016 presidential candidate Gary Johnson surpassed the 2-percent threshold mandated by state law for official party status.

Porter, 29, describes himself as a business consultant, and is co-founder of Council Bluffs-based YCYOR, LLC, a web design and marketing firm. He is a graduate of AIB College of Business.